After Rafael Furcal’s elbow fell apart in spring training and trade speculation began, St. Louis Cardinals players spoke highly of Pete Kozma. They could not have had the kind of run they did at the end of last season, the other Cardinals said, without Kozma playing solid defense in the last weeks of the season. Earlier this season, Kozma was hitting a high as .276, on May 28.

But Kozma hit .209 in June, with a .501 OPS, and he was recently given a three-day break. He’s hitting .232 with a .572 OPS overall.

Sources say there has been more discussion about a possible swap that was talked about in the offseason: the Indians’ Asdrubal Cabrera to St. Louis.